The Golden State Warriors tip off their 2011-12 season Christmas night against the revamped Los Angeles Clippers.

Few people have high hopes for the Bay Area team in that game. And the same probably holds true for the year as a whole.

Golden State had a dismal 2010-11 season, finishing 12th in the Western Conference and third in the Pacific Division with a 36-46 record.

Obviously no one statistic will tell the tale of why the Warriors ended up 10 games out of the playoff hunt, so consider a few.

Golden State was in the NBA’s bottom three in the following categories: turnovers per game (16.1), rebound differential (-349), free throws made per game (15.7) and average points allowed (105.7).

Those problems, and others, worked together to crush the Warriors’ chances last year, leaving them with many questions entering an abbreviated 2011-12 season.

One possible answer, according to upper management, was a coaching change.

The team hired former NBA point guard and ESPN analyst Mark Jackson, hoping a new voice could get through to the players.

The first-year (and first-time) head coach has a lot of pressure to fix issues that date back to the Don Nelson days and actually get good results from a team with one of the most talented starting lineups in the league.

Jackson has to get the Warriors’ out of their run-and-gun mentality; it’s not sustainable, especially for a 66-game season jam-packed with back-to-backs.

Consistent defense will be a key.

Last year, Golden State ranked second in steals per game but 20th in opponent field goal percentage. The team got occasional stops but couldn’t keep the other guys from making shots – definitely not a recipe for success.

Since new acquisitions did not include defensive powerhouses, the front office is banking on Jackson’s ability to convince the returning stars to play well on both sides of the ball.

That of course implies the hope that his coaching style won’t get in the way of the team’s offensive prowess.

The Warriors finished seventh in the NBA in points per game (their fifth straight season in the top 10), fourth in 3-pointers made and second in 3-point percentage.

Shooting guard Monta Ellis had arguably his best season, power forward David Lee wowed with his consistent results and small forward Dorell Wright should have won the Most Improved Player Award (posting career-best averages in minutes, rebounds, assists, steals, points and 3-pointers made).

Golden State needs those three to perform as well or better this year to have any hope.

Starting point guard Stephen Curry (who injured his ankle in Tuesday’s preseason game) had a decent sophomore season but needs to work on getting more assists and having fewer turnovers. No doubt Jackson will help there.

Then there’s the big white Latvian elephant in the Warrior locker room.

Center Andris Biedrins is coming off of a horrible season highlighted by laughable totals in games (59), free-throw percentage (32.3), blocks per game (0.9) and points per game (5.0).

In today’s NBA (and the modern Western Conference), the Warriors will not thrive without a reliable big man.

If Biedrins doesn’t come through early, he’ll find himself parked on the bench watching second-year man Ekpe Udoh or veteran Kwame Brown in the starting spot.

On the subject of role players, Golden State did little to bolster its backup lineup. On the whole, the team added a lot of youth and a lot of guards, but made no big-name splashes.

Maybe new consultant Jerry West has a hidden plan because a No. 1 priority for the Warriors this offseason should have been adding depth.

Having a young, unproven bench will likely hurt Golden State this year although the youthful energy could help during the back-to-backs (and one back-to-back-to-back).

The Warriors probably have lofty goals for themselves but their fans shouldn’t, especially considering the team split its only two preseason games of the year.

Some guys looked sharp in those matchups, but the team underachieved and blew a last-minute lead in Sacramento Tuesday night – not a good sign for a group that went 10-31 on the road last year.

A .500 finish would be a good result for the Warriors.

Maybe with the shortened season that could be enough to get into the postseason conversation. And who knows, the young team could start to click and somehow exceed those expectations.

An important indicator will be whether the Warriors survive their first 10 games, a daunting stretch against seven playoff teams from last year. If they don’t, they could find themselves out of the hunt when the season has only barely begun.

SACRAMENTO — The Warriors lost their exhibition season finale 95-91 to the host Sacramento Kings on Tuesday. But the defeat was overshadowed by another loss: point guard Stephen Curry.

Late in the first half, Curry sprained his right ankle — the same ankle that bothered him all last season — and had to be helped to the locker room. He never returned and left Power Balance Pavilion on crutches, his face hiding behind the shadow of his hood. He will be evaluated by Warriors doctors Wednesday to determine the extent of the injury and whether he’ll play in Sunday’s season opener against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.

“Disappointed,” coach Mark Jackson said. “But the bottom line is we’re a no-excuse basketball team. … Hopefully, he’s back quick. But if not, we still have to go out and execute our game plan and fulfill the promise.”

Curry had seven points, five assists, three steals and no turnovers in 15 minutes before getting hurt. With 46.4 seconds left in the second quarter, Curry, backpedaling to the defensive end, appeared to roll his right ankle. After trying to walk it off, he buckled to the hardwood and writhed in pain on the sideline between the team’s benches.

Curry sprained his right ankle three times last season, the first in an exhibition game, and missed a total of eight games. Curry had surgery in May — performed by Dr. Bob Anderson, a foot and ankle specialist at OrthoCarolina in Charlotte — to repair two ligaments

in his right ankle. He was cleared by doctors for full activity on Sept. 14 and hasn’t had any issues with the ankle before Tuesday.

“Tough loving Steph,” forward David Lee said after totaling 30 points and 13 rebounds against the Kings.

Second-year guard Ish Smith replaced Curry in the second-half lineup. Jackson said he gave Smith the nod over rookie Charles Jenkins so he could get a look at Smith, whom the Warriors claimed off waivers Friday.

Smith played just over 18 minutes, scoring two points on six shots with three assists. Down the stretch, guard Monta Ellis, who had 19 points and six assists, ran the point for the Warriors.

Though Jenkins was penciled in as the backup point guard, Jackson said he has multiple options at point guard that his staff will weigh over the next few days if Curry is out.

“We’ve got to look at it like it’s an opportunity for the next man,” Jackson said. “Ish Smith is a guy that was put on waivers (last Wednesday by Memphis). He’s got to look at it like, ‘What a blessing.’ “

Mark Jackson faces no lack of challenges as the Warriors open an abbreviated training camp Friday.

The first-time coach had little contact with players because of the NBA lockout. The roster is in flux. And now he has just days to implement his system before the Warriors rush into a truncated season that begins Christmas night.

No matter, said the ultra-confident Jackson. We’re still making the playoffs.

“It’s a tailor-made excuse, and we’re not going to start this season by making excuses,” Jackson said of the labor stoppage. “I’m not going to give the guys an option to say, ‘Well, we wish we had a longer time.’ “

Besides, Jackson added, he has two local examples of coaches who didn’t allow a lockout to thwart them as they began new jobs — the 49ers’ Jim Harbaugh and the Raiders’ Hue Jackson.

“They’re great leaders,” said Mark Jackson, who visited a 49ers practice last week. “They’ve turned things around. They’ve made things that I look forward to making here. … Neither one of those coaches used a shortened preparation time as an excuse, and we won’t either.”

The 49ers (10-2) already have clinched the NFC West title for their first postseason berth since 2002, while the Raiders (7-5) remain in the playoff hunt.

But Jackson, a 17-year NBA player who most recently was an ABC and ESPN broadcaster, inherits an arguably tougher task as he tries to turn around a team that has made the playoffs just once since 1994.

While Jackson said he has been preparing for this moment his entire life, he has never been a coach — unlike Harbaugh or Hue Jackson.

“You can say you know all about coaching, but you don’t because you’ve never actually done it before,” said Hall of Fame coach and current broadcaster Hubie Brown. “The question is: ‘Can you handle the pressure of the game?’ Mark has done it as a player, but he’s never done this before.”

Like Jackson, Brown once left a TV analyst’s chair to run an NBA bench — returning to coaching after a15-year break. He turned the Memphis Grizzlies into a playoff team and was named the league’s coach of the year in 2004.

“There’s a major difference,” Brown said. “I already was a high school, college and professional coach when I went back. Mark is a completely different situation.”

Longtime NBA executive Donnie Walsh said he has similar you-think-you-know-but-you-don’t advice for Jackson.

“I told Larry Bird the same thing when he got into coaching,” Walsh said. “So it is something that Mark is going to have to get over. But I have no doubt he will.”

Brown also approves of Jackson’s top priority: changing the team’s casual attitude toward defense.

“He understands the weaknesses of the franchise,” Brown said.

Golden State yielded 105.7 points a game last season — tied for third-worst in the league. That won’t be tolerated, Jackson said.

“Don’t just anticipate it, expect it,” Jackson said when asked if the Warriors could play a physical-style defense. “We will be a gutty, gritty defensive team that’s going to make life tough for teams to play against us.”

Jackson added that past Warriors teams “had great ability to score the basketball but took no pride on the defensive end.”

It’s impossible to say what the Warriors’ roster will look like in the opener against the Los Angeles Clippers. But stopping the opposition — instead of trying to outscore them — will be the mission for whoever is on the court.

“I could defend, as slow and pitiful as I was, because I bought in,” Jackson said of his playing days. “And I’ve certainly got guys now who are better than me. So there’s no excuse. I’m not just looking to change the culture. The culture has changed.”

Jackson noted the difference Harbaugh has made with the 49ers. He saw how Harbaugh participated in drills, did some trash-talking and generally acted like one of the guys at practice.

“I’ve been at practices as a player, and a viewer watching coaches suck the life out of teams,” Jackson said. “I’ve also seen practices where coaches instill confidence and pride, and guys want to run through a wall for them. That’s what they have and what we want.”

But as he respects what the 49ers and Raiders have done, Jackson said he wants his team to forge its own identity.

“Let’s take care of business and have folks talk about us,” he said.

Contact Mark Emmons at 408-920-5745.